The present invention relates to data entry devices for electronic musical sound generating equipment. More particularly, the present invention relates to a silent electronic keyboard which provides the player with the experience of true percussive action during playing and at the same time generates electrical signals corresponding to playing conditions.
Data entry devices for electronic music generators are known in the prior art. Keyboards having preloaded bias force characteristics are commonly encountered as data entry devices for electronic organs, sythesizers and musical sound generating equipment. Such keyboards crudely mimic true percussive action of an acoustical piano keyboard, but deprive the player of the aesthetic experiences uniquely associated with true percussive action keyboards which involve the progressive displacements of multiple masses (key and hammer) in a levered cam and follower arrangement.
Silent practice keyboards are also known to exist in the prior art. Such keyboards were not true percussive action devices, nor did they provide any electrical switch interface for controlling operation of musical and/or percussive sound generators.
With the advent in the musical arts of advanced electronic sound synthesis equipment, and music composed and performed for and with such equipment by musicians trained and experienced in classical accoustical keyboard theory, a need has arisen for an electronic data entry keyboard device which emulates the aesthetic characteristics of true percussive action accoustical keyboard instruments while at the same time generates electronic control signals which are directly related to play in real time.